As we leave this decade behind, the decade that didn’t even have a name (the “teenys”?!), I would encourage you to use the time from now, leading up to the Christmas and New Year’s break to do some reflection.
Pick some quiet time, with no kids, no pets, no phone, no visitors and just sit quietly for a few moments. Think about what you’ve achieved since January 2019.
It’s hard sometimes to think of what we achieved, so I use my diary (I still use a paper one!) and I flick back over it and there I see all my clients, my appointments, my talks, my volunteer work, my holidays, my events, training I might have done, my nights out etc and I use this to help me write a list of achievements. This year I celebrated being 1 year in business, being coach of the month in August and doing some talks. What about you?
Get out a journal or just a piece of paper and list them out. Give yourself credit for everything you’ve achieved this year. Well done you!
If you’ve had some challenging times or a difficult year, then acknowledge this too and the fact that you have come through it. That was tough, but you did it.
It’s harder to do this for the whole decade but try to cast your mind back to 2010. For me, I had a 3-year-old and a 6-year-old and a full-time full-on job as a solicitor. I got laser eye surgery that year! The recession was in full swing and things were tough at work.
Think about what you’ve done since then. We have all weathered the recession and lots of other things too. I’ve come through a redundancy, time off, a new job, mediation training, life coach training, deciding to leave a job and set up my business, whilst all the time navigating daily life and the ups and downs of family life, bereavements, illnesses and everything that life can throw at us.
I’ve also had some great times, lovely holidays (Including a lovely trip to Paris for a big birthday with my best pal), went zip-lining, jumped in a lake, went glamping and had a really tough time kayaking into the wind in Killary Harbour! These mightn’t seem like huge things to you, but they were to me!
So, as you reflect and give yourself the credit you deserve for all the things you’ve done during the past year and decade, ask yourself this:
What do I want to do more of in 2020 and the next decade?
What would you like to write on your list in December 2020?
And December 2029?